The House of Malaspina was a noble Italian family of Longobard origin that descended from Boniface I, through the Obertenghi line, that ruled Lunigiana from the 13th to the 14th centuries, and the marquisate of Massa and lordship of Carrara (which later became the Duchy of Massa and Carrara and at a later time the Principality of Massa and the Marquisate of Carrara) since the 14th century.
History
The founder of the Malaspina family was Oberto I, who became the count of Luni in 945. Oberto I was created the marquis of the March of Genoa under the Italian king Berengar II in 951 and he became a count palatine in 953.
Oberto I had two sons; Oberto II, who succeeded his father as count of Luni, and Adalberto I, whose offspring founded the Pallavicino and the Cavalcabò families. Oberto II had four children; Bertha of Milan, the wife of the King of Italy Arduino; Ugo, count of Milan; Albert Azzo I, count of Luni and Margrave of Milan, whose offspring founded the Este family branches of Hanover and Brunswick; and Oberto Obizzo I, progenitor of the lineage of the Malaspinas.
In 1004, Oberto Obizzo I fought beside his brother-in-law King Arduino against the Count Bishops of Luni: this was the first of many conflicts between the family and the governors of the Roman-founded city. Oberto Obizzo I had a son, Albert I. Albert I also had a son, Oberto Obizzo II (d. 1090), the father of (died 1140), who was the first member of the family to be called Malaspina; for this reason he is sometimes considered the true founder of the family.
The surname Malaspina means "bad thorn" or "ill-willed thorn" in Italian; some historians believe the surname originated in the time of Ancus Marcius as some paintings in the halls of castle of Fosdinovo may suggest. Other historians believe the name may have originated from a legend regarding the death of an enemy, King Merovingio Theudebert I. The legend, which is narrated on five sandstone tiles at the entry gate of the Malaspina castle of Godiasco,La marca Obertenga e i Feudi Imperiali tells how the king was killed with a thorn. Others believe the name originated from the remarkably bad attitude of Albert Malaspina or some of his relatives held with others.Guagnini, p. 27
Albert Malaspina extended the family's possessions towards the Apennine Mountains near Lunigiana, starting a conflict with Genoa and the Bishops of Luni. The 1124 peace treaty of Lucca references the division of goods between the descendants of Oberto Obizzo I, who in time gave birth to several European noble families; Brunswick, Estens, Pallavicino and the marquises of Massa, Sardinia and Corsica, as well as the Malaspinas.
Albert's son, the Marquis Obizzo I Malaspina (died 1185), initially fought against Frederick Barbarossa the Holy Roman Emperor, supporting rioting commoners. After the emperor took control of the conflict, Obizzo changed sides, supporting him in his fight against Milan in 1157. The emperor rewarded Obizzo, granting him the right to rule over the territories of Liguria, Lunigiana, Lombardy and Emilia. In 1176, after escorting Barbarossa to Pavia, Obizzo surprised him by deciding to ally with the Lombard league and attacking the Emperor's armies. Because of Obizzo's betrayal, Frederick Barbarossa was defeated in the battle of Legnano. In the peace treaty of Constance, the emperor forgave Obizzo and re-confirmed Obizzo's right to rule over the land he was given. Both the Battle of Legnano and the Peace of Costanza are represented in paintings conserved in the hall of Fosdinovo castle and were realized by Gaetano Bianchi at the end of the 19th century.Guagnini, p. 49
Obizzo I had two sons Obizzo II Malaspina—also known as Obizzone—and Moroello I Malaspina. The descendants of Obizzo II founded the Spino secco ("dried thorn") branch of the family while the descendants of Moroello I founded the Spino Fiorito ("bloomed thorn") branch of the family (1221). Obizzo II had a son called Conrad I Malaspina, who was defined by Dante Alighieri as "the Old or the Ancient" due to his fame and long-living legacy; Conrad I is considered to be the first of the Spino Secco branch. He obtained all of the territories over the right bank of the Magra river and the territories of Villafranca on the left bank of the river. Conrad I Malaspina had four children; Manfredi Malaspina, Moroello of Mulazzo, Frederick of Villafranca, and Albert Malaspina.
Manfredi Malaspina had a son named Moroello "Vapor of Valdimagra", who was a good friend of Dante Alighieri; because of his close friendship with Manfredi and the kindness he was shown during his exile, Alighieri paid homage to the Malaspina family in the "Purgatory" section of his epic poem Divine Comedy. Moroello had a son named Franceschino Malaspina, who took part in the wars between Guelfs and Ghibellines, and is known to have hosted Dante Alighieri several times during his exile in Lunigiana, nominating him as his personal attorney in the difficult peace negotiations with the Bishop of Luni, Antonio Da Camilla. These negotiations resulted in the peace of Castelnuovo in 1306. Frederick of Villafranca (Brother of Conrad Malaspina The Old) had two sons; Obizzino Malaspina and Conrad Malaspina the Young, to whom Dante expressed his gratitude for the Malaspina family in the 8th canto of "Purgatory".
Moroello I Malaspina had a son named Guglielmo Malaspina, whose son Obizzino Malaspina is considered to be the true progenitor of the Spino Fiorito branch of the family. He received all of the territories on the left bank of the Magra river. Obizzino married Caterina Cattaneo and had three heirs; Bernabò Malaspina, Isnardo Malaspina, and Albert Malaspina. Isnardo married Cubina d'Este, who gave birth to Gabriele Malaspina (it) and Azzolino Malaspina; the latter had three children; Spinetta Malaspina—also known as "the Great", who in 1340 purchased the feud of Fosdinovo, but had no legitimate offspring; Isnardo; and Azzolino whose offspring would assume the title of Marquess of Fosdinovo (1355).
The division of lands between the ever-increasing heirs brought about a shattering of the Dominion of the family into smaller feuds. The Malaspinas sometimes supported the Ghibelline faction and sometimes the Guelf faction. While supporting the Guelfs, Obizzino took part in the conflicts of the Lombards against the Hohenstaufen. Obizzino, alongside Morroello of the Malaspinas of Giovagallo, commanded the Guelf army that defended Florence against Henry VII of Luxembourg. The Ghibelline faction defending emperor Henry VII was also led by a household member; Spinetta Malaspina, also known as the Great.Fiori, p. 6
The Malaspina family also controlled land in the north of Genoa around the four provinces area in the valleys of the Trebbia and Staffora rivers. The lordships in the Lunigiana and in the north of Genoa (also called Lombarda) were soon fragmented due to the adoption of the Longobard Right, which required an equal division of assets, including feuds, between male sons. Some members of the Malaspina family held a part of the Giudicato of Lugodoro (Giudicato di Torres) in the 13th and 14th centuries but most relevantly from the 15th to the 18th centuries, the branch of the Cybo-Malaspina governed the independent marquisate of Massa and the lordship of Carrara, then known as the Duchy of Massa and Carrara). The family's Sardinian possessions were: the castle of Serravalle (Bosa) with the curation of Planargia and Costa De Addess; and the castle of Osilo with the curation of Montes, Figulinas and Coros.Soddu, I Malaspina e la Sardegna, p. 36 Members of the family also had the right to the title of princes of San Colombano.Branchi, I, p. 161
Dante's homage In the eighth canto of Purgatory, Dante Alighieri celebrates the Malaspinas' courtly values, especially those of liberality and hospitality that were well known throughout Europe.E. Salvatori, Les Malaspina: bandits de grands chemins ou champions du raffinement courtois? Quelques considérations sur une cour qui a ouvert ses portes aux troubadours (XIIème - XIIIème siècles), in Les élites lettrées, a cura di Patrick Gilli, Montpellier
"Oh!" said I then to him, "I 've never beenin your domains, but where throughout all Europedwelleth a man who knows them not? The famewhich honoreth your house, proclaims its lords,proclaims its district, so that even heknows of them, who hath never been there yet.I swear to you, so may I go on high,that of the glorious use of purse and swordyour honored race doth not despoil itself.(Divine Comedy, Purgatory, Dante Alighieri, 8th Canto, Vv. 121–129)
Origins
The Malaspinas were a marchesal branch descending from the Obertenghi family, whose originator was Oberto I (Otbert or Odebertus), who around the middle of the 10th century became count palatine (the count of the sacred palace of Pavia and absolute judiciary authority of the kingdom), and from 951 he also became marquis of Milan and Count of Luni, as well as of the marquisate of Obertenga, as he called it), in the western part of Liguria, which was made up of the committees of Milan, Genoa, Tortona, Bobbio, Luni and other bordering territories.In pratica più o meno l'attuale Lombardia, più il Novarese, la Svizzera Italiana e l'Emilia con Ferrara; il Genovesato fino alla Lunigiana e alla Garfagnana e parte del Piemonte, cioè Tortona, Novi Ligure, Ovada, la Val Bormida (l'Oltregiogo), e poi si aggiunse anche Ascoli Piceno
This vast territory was fragmented both because the hereditary divisions such as the majorat were not yet valid and because of conflicting relationships with other families, including the Fieschi, Spinola, Doria and others, and because of pressure coming from the birthing communes of Milan, Genoa, Piacenza, Tortona, Pavia and Bobbio. Oberto I founded the house through his descendants Oberto II, Oberto Obizzo I, Albert I, Oberto Obizzo II and Albert I Malaspina (d. 1140).
In 1164, Albert's son Obizzo I (the great) (d. 1185) had his feudal rights confirmed by Emperor Frederick I and was also nominated Imperial Vassal. His feuds included parts of the modern-day Liguria (Tigullio, Cinque Terre and Levanto sul mare—which he acquired from Genoa and the Fieschi; the territories of the Lunigiana, Garfagnana and the valleys of the Trebbia River up to Torriglia); the Val d'Aveto (until Santo Stefano d'Aveto) and Staffora located in the Oltrepò); as well as Lombardy (Val Bormida and Oltregiogo).Guagnini, p. 52
In 1220, of Obizzo I's many heirs, only Conrad Malaspina the Old and Obizzino Malaspina were alive; their feudal rights were re-confirmed by the emperor although the territories were slightly reduced due to Piacenza's prevalent influence. In 1221, Conrad and Obizzino divided their lordships equally. Conrad ruled over the Lunigiana territories located on the west bank of the Magra River and Val Trebbia in Lombardy, giving birth to the Spino Secco branch, while Obizzino ruled over the Lunigiana territories located on the east bank of the Magra River and Valle Staffora in Lombardy, giving birth to the Spino Fiorito branch of the family.
Essential genealogy Oberto I Oberto II Oberto Obizzo I Albert I Obizzo II Albert "The Malaspina", forefather of the Malaspina Obizzo Malaspina Obizzone Conrad I Malaspina, forefather of the Spino Secco branch of the family Morello Guglielmo Opizzo Malaspina, Forefather of the Spino Fiorito branch of the family
Spino Secco branch
In 1266, four sub-branches were formed from the descendants of Conrad Malaspina (The Old) remembered by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy.
Malaspina of Mulazzo